As September came to a close, Colorado River discussions shifted from announcing future cuts to a more difficult question: how will communities protect their water supplies as those reductions move closer.
In southwestern Arizona, Yuma officials are preparing for possible legal action on two separate water issues.
Arizona’s Family reported that the Yuma City Council unanimously authorized the city to prepare for legal action involving both Colorado River operating rules and a proposed transfer of Colorado River water from agricultural land in La Paz County to Queen Creek.
The proposed transfer involves water associated with GSC Farm. Yuma is joining Mohave and La Paz counties in challenging the transfer because local leaders are concerned about the precedent of moving water away from rural agricultural communities and toward growing metropolitan areas.
Yuma officials are also considering possible legal action involving the federal government’s new Colorado River operating guidelines. Mayor Doug Nicholls said Yuma wants to participate in addressing the river’s shortage but does not want agriculture to carry the entire burden. Yuma-area farms are an important source of winter produce for the United States.
At the same time, Arizona lawmakers are looking at another way to stretch the Colorado River supply.
KAWC reported on proposed federal legislation that would authorize restoration of the Yuma Desalting Plant, which was originally constructed to treat salty agricultural drainage water from the Wellton-Mohawk Irrigation and Drainage District.
The proposed Colorado River Basin Water Security and Infrastructure Act would authorize $19 billion for water projects throughout the Basin, including $1 billion to restore the Yuma plant. Supporters say treating agricultural drainage water could reduce the amount of Colorado River water needed to meet downstream delivery requirements.
Arizona cities are also investing in their own water systems.
ABC15 reported that Phoenix is constructing a new 20-million-gallon reservoir at the Union Hills Water Treatment Plant. Historically, about 40% of Phoenix’s delivered water has come from the Colorado River, and city officials said the additional storage will give the system more flexibility as supplies become less certain.
Scottsdale, meanwhile, is considering additional review for new developments expected to use large quantities of water. Under the proposal, developments projected to use more than 100,000 gallons per day could face additional city approval requirements. The proposal had not yet been adopted when the story was published.
Private companies are also becoming more involved in Colorado River conservation.
KJZZ reported that Amazon pledged $20 million toward water-saving projects in Arizona and California. One proposed project would improve irrigation efficiency with an unnamed Tribal Nation in northern Arizona.
The investment is part of a larger effort to bring private funding into Colorado River conservation. KJZZ noted, however, that the scale of the river’s shortage is much larger than any single corporate investment. Major conservation programs involving farms, cities and infrastructure can require billions of dollars.
While states, cities and private companies look for ways to conserve or develop additional supplies, Lake Powell continues to show why those efforts are becoming urgent.
A Sept. 29 report said Lake Powell stood at about 3,518 feet in elevation, roughly 28 feet above minimum power pool, the level where Glen Canyon Dam can no longer effectively generate hydropower.
The reservoir had already reached a modern record low earlier in September. If Lake Powell falls below minimum power pool, water could still move through Glen Canyon Dam, but hydropower production would stop and dam operations would become more difficult.
The report also noted that federal efforts to protect Lake Powell can create consequences downstream. Reducing releases from Powell helps preserve its elevation but sends less water toward Lake Mead, demonstrating the difficult tradeoffs involved in managing the two reservoirs together.
Late September also marked the end of an era in Colorado River management. KGNU reported that the 2007 Interim Guidelines, which have governed operations during much of the river’s prolonged drought, were scheduled to expire Oct. 1. Years of negotiations among the seven Basin states had failed to produce a replacement agreement, leaving the federal government’s new management framework to guide the next phase of river operations.
Together, these developments show how the Colorado River conversation is changing. The debate is no longer only about how much water will be cut. Communities are challenging transfers, preparing for litigation, investing in storage, considering new supply projects and looking for conservation money while reservoir levels continue to decline.
What does this mean for CRIT?
The Yuma legal dispute is particularly important because it involves the movement of Colorado River water away from agricultural communities. Like Yuma-area farmers, CRIT has a major agricultural economy built around senior Colorado River water rights. Questions about transferring water from rural areas to growing cities therefore have regional significance beyond the individual transfer being challenged.
The proposed restoration of the Yuma Desalting Plant is also worth watching because it represents an attempt to create additional usable water within the existing Colorado River system rather than relying entirely on deeper reductions from current users.
Lake Powell’s condition remains the larger warning in the background. CRIT’s senior rights place the Tribe in a stronger legal position than many junior-priority users, but senior rights do not separate the Tribe from the physical condition of the Colorado River system. Reservoir operations, hydropower, releases to Lake Mead and federal management decisions remain connected throughout the Basin.
For CRIT, these late-September developments bring together several issues already reflected in the Tribe’s own water work: protecting senior rights, maintaining agricultural use, participating in regional decision-making and planning for a river system with increasingly limited supplies.
Sources
Arizona’s Family: “Yuma prepares legal fight over Colorado River water rights, federal cuts” AZFamily
KAWC Yuma Public Radio: “AZ Republicans: Bill would restore Yuma Desalting Plant, expand Colorado River water supplies” KAWC
ABC15 Arizona: “Phoenix adds water storage, Scottsdale weighs new rules as Colorado River supplies shrink” ABC15 Arizona in Phoenix (KNXV)
KJZZ: “Amazon has pledged $20M for Colorado River conservation. Why big companies care about saving water” KJZZ
KGNU: “Colorado River 20-year drought guidelines will expire next week” KGNU
Nature World News: “Lake Powell Sits About 28 Feet Above the Level Where Glen Canyon Dam Stops Generating Power” Nature World News